11 American Cities That Are Shells Of Their Former Selves

Even as the U.S. population steadily grows, some cities have seen drastic decreases in population.

Many of these cities relied on a particular industry — coal, steel, automotives — that has since left the area and taken away thousands of jobs. Suburbanization has also played a major role, as families fled in favor of suburbs with less crime and better schools.

New Orleans

While Katrina helped relieved the city of 29% of its population between 2000 and 2010, the rise of Houston and the broader Texas Gulf Coast port and refinery complex had already put a dent into what was for much of the 19th century and early 20th century the most bustling port in the South.

Dayton

Population at peak (1960): 262,332Population in 2010: 141,527Decline from peak: 46.1%

Dayton Metro Library

Dayton, Ohio's population declined after major companies like Mead Paper and General Motors left. Manufacturing was also big in Dayton, and many of those jobs have since left the city.

Scranton

Population at peak (1930): 143,333Population in 2010: 76,089Decline from peak: 46.9%

Niagara Falls

Niagara was never the same after a 1956 landslide destroyed part of the city's largest hydroplant. The construction of the Robert Moses Parkway has also been blamed for the city's decline as it allowed travelers to completely bypass the city on the way to Canada.

Buffalo

Population at peak (1950): 580,132Population in 2010: 270,240Decline from peak: 53.4%

Buffalo, N.Y. used to be a big transportation hub with the Erie Canal and the Buffalo Central Terminal, a major railroad station. The rise of Amtrak in the 1970s took trains away from the Buffalo Central Terminal and St. Lawrence Seaway that extended to Lake Erie created competition for the Erie Canal. In addition to all that, many manufacturing jobs went overseas.

Pittsburgh

Population at peak (1950): 676,806Population in 2010: 305,704Decline from peak: 54.8%

Gary

Gary, Ind. took a big hit when the steel industry collapsed. The city has deteriorated so badly over the past few decades that the city is now considering cutting off city services to about half its land and moving residents to more viable areas.

Cleveland

Population at peak (1950): 914,808Population in 2010: 396,815Decline from peak: 56.6%

Many large companies that once provided thousands of jobs to people in Cleveland, such as John D. Rockefeller's Standard Oil Company, have since left the city. The country's industrial decline over the past few decades along with the rise of suburbanization drove Cleveland's drastic population decline.

Youngstown

Population at peak (1930): 170,002 Population in 2010: 66,982Decline from peak: 60.6%

Youngstown has been accused of failing to diversify to stave off nationwide industrial decline. Many regard the shuttering of the Youngstown Sheet and Tube Company on September 19, 1977, aka "Black Monday," as the death knell of the city.

Detroit

Population at peak (1950): 1,849,568 Population in 2010: 713,777Decline from peak: 61.4%

Detroit has lost more than a million people since its peak in the mid-20th century, and the population decline isn't expected to end anytime soon. Known as Motor City, Detroit was the center of an auto industry boom after World War II. The boom has long since ended, however, and many manufacturing jobs have disappeared. Detroit's population decline can also be attributed to middle-class families moving to the suburbs to avoid the high crime and plummeting property values in Detroit.

St. Louis

Population at peak (1950): 856,796Population in 2010: 319,294Decline from peak: 62.7%